"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat
A cartel of organised criminals including several prominent bikie gangs has ordered cocaine dealers around the nation to freeze supply in a bid to reverse a recent slump in the price of the popular party drug.
Those who break ranks and continue to flood the market with high-quality cocaine face serious consequences, according to leaked internal messages obtained by this masthead which also quote Warren Buffett and Henry Ford.
The messages shared on encrypted apps reveal a plan by the cartel to stop the distribution of large shipments of cocaine for the next four weeks to inflate prices and expose overseas traffickers attempting to undercut local suppliers.
The freeze was to begin in Sydney on Friday, while dealers in other states will be expected to curb supply from May 3.
“To my dear brothers of the underworld I need us all to sit back and stop all supply of bricks for four weeks and let me raise the market with a bit of patience,” one message reads.
“I have spoken to all parties and everyone has agreed and is happy to turn off the tap and stop these price wars! As long as we are all playing ball and are on the same page.”
The cartel then details how the blockade will work. Dealers will be allowed to continue selling ounces and grams to make an income, but bricks of cocaine will be held until the price stabilises above $200,000 per kilogram.
“The ounce people will raise the market for us,” one message reads. “As the supply tightens there [sic] prices will rise from being where we are at now.”
The message, which has been widely distributed among criminal networks, cites famed US industrialist Henry Ford.
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success – Henry Ford” it states.
It also references a quote from billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the 92-year-old chief executive of American conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from [the] impatient to the patient – Warren Buffett.”
‘Play ball and keep prices high and dont make mistake and ruin your lifes [sic].’
One of the cartel’s messagesnone
Tensions over the price of cocaine have simmered in the underworld for months.
They came to a head in October when a cartel founded by jailed bikie boss Mark Buddle in 2022, known as The Commission, threatened to go after the families and businesses of Sydney and Melbourne drug dealers who dropped cocaine prices.
“Play ball and keep prices high and dont make mistake and ruin your lifes [sic],” the cartel wrote in a message to dealers, obtained by this masthead.
According to underworld sources, the price of cocaine collapsed earlier this year after a series of successful large importations into Australia flooded the market with the drug.
A source said the quality had not reduced, but “supply is everywhere”.
Police intelligence suggests Albanian crime networks have been flooding the Australian market with cheap cocaine in a bid to control the lucrative trade.
Shipments of cocaine that were bound for Australia but backlogged due to the reduction in air and sea freight during the COVID-19 pandemic could also be to blame for the over supply.
Major law enforcement operations, including the discovery of the largest cocaine shipment in Australia’s history in Western Australia in March, appear to have barely made a dent in the trade.
The use of encrypted apps and trusted insiders continue to be major hurdles for investigators working to disrupt it.
A Melbourne-based underworld source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said prices plummeted by more than $100,000 per kilogram in a single week in March, which sunk the market price below $250,000 per kilogram.
In the messages, the cartel directly points the finger at overseas players for the slump, accusing Albanian, Canadian, South American and British organised crime networks of trying to undercut local dealers.
“You are coming into our country desperate to sell and get a sale, and trying to dictate our market,” one message reads.
“What you have done is anger everyone and destroyed our beautiful market that has cornered people to lead to violence and rips.”
State and territory law enforcement agencies have been put on notice for potential acts of violent retribution between distributors and drug dealers in the aftermath of the cartel’s messages.
The Melbourne source scoffed at the idea criminals would maintain solidarity with each other, and told this masthead: “It’s a jungle out there and there is no honour among thieves.
“These guys have watched too many gangsters [in films] and idolise the New York mafia or Al Capone and now are attempting to control a multicultural, volatile, diverse market that has no roots or stems.”
That is a view shared by some law enforcement officers.
“I just can’t see anyone taking any notice, people only notice when extreme violence is involved,” said a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Anthony Conway said bikies had become more entrepreneurial and collaborated with other clubs and crime networks both in Australia and overseas for mutual benefit.
“It demonstrates that despite the historic violent interclub rivalries, outlaw motorcycle gangs are prepared to work together to get their share of Australia’s lucrative drug market,” he said.
“They are sacrificing historical club values to advance their transnational serious and organised crime activities.”
Conway estimated bikies were involved in up to half of the large-scale drug importations to Australia and most of the large clandestine manufacturing labs.
This is such bullshit lol… 200k a key? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteThere’s no slump either
It's Austrailia..but still that is fucking ridiculous.
DeleteInflation 🤣
DeletePrices going up, because weapons have went up, ammo went up, ballistic vests went up, meat cutters want more money to dismember bodies.
9:05 lol you’ve got no idea. On average H goes for approx. 600$/gram and Coke goes for approx.400$/gram in Australia. Its borders are the tightest known with the least corruption. There is a reason why more than half the customers on the dark web marketplaces(SR) are from Australia. That’s why on those platforms they are happy to pay 325$+/g for H and up to 250$/g for coke. The buyer is extremely happy and the sellers cashes in. Those were always the best clients. Most of the time before it always got through, using regular mail.
Delete12:31 I still don’t really understand the math though. If coke in Australia is 300 - $400 a gram, then shouldn’t a kilo be 70 - 100k max? In America a gram is 80 - $100 but kilos are only 20 - 30k. It’s like they’re tacking on a whole extra 100k for no practical reason.
Delete1 kilo = 1,000 grams@ 300 AU per gram = 300,000 AU
Delete10:46 There’s no way you’re actually that dumb… Wholesale prices are the whole point of buying amounts like whole kilos. I’m just gonna assume you’re being sarcastic because holy shit dude.
Delete10:46 🤦
DeleteWow, you calling me dumb is rich. I responded to the previous comment asking why a kilo is above 100k if a gram is 300 au. The simple math shows that even at 200k a kilo the retailer would still make a profit. So, it looks like the dumb ass is you.
Delete8:22 I’m not the one who called you dumb but they are correct… Australian prices may be different but the profit margins should still be relatively proportional to other first world nations. I just did the calculations and for a $200,000 kilo to make sense; grams would literally have to be like $1,300 each, not 300 - $400. You’re just demonstrating that you don’t know how coke pricing works by how the price is supposed to translate from grams to kilos. $350 grams mean your kilos should be 70 - 90k, end of story. Maybe give or take 10k but there’s barely any wiggle room there that would even make sense.
DeleteThis 200k figure though is pure fantasy and clearly is pulled out the ass of somebody who can’t correctly use a calculator.
5:21 look, those were street prices back in 2013 at 600$g/h and 400$g/c on avg. on the street. My point being is that Australians pay crazy prices for production the street. I added that at that time, and probably still now, Australians prefer to buy online in marketplaces because it’s much cheaper than what they are used to. So the user wins and so does the seller.
Delete8:22 I think we can all agree that coke in Australia is roughly 4 times what it is in America ($70g compared to $300g) so if a whole kilo is 25k in America, how did we just magically get to 200k in Australia??? It suddenly just went from 4 times as much to 8 times as much for no apparent reason?.. Coke there is expensive but not 8 times as expensive so how adorable one arrive at 200k instead of 100k
Delete@9:14 actually I just crunched some numbers myself and a 200k kilogram could still make sense for grams that are $640 each but ya, no way could each g be any lower than 640 for 200,000 to be plausible for a whole key
Delete9:14 I think you might’ve accidentally timed that by 2 or something. I got 700 from my math not 1300. Point still stands though that even $400 grams don’t lead to a kilo being 200,000 in any scenario here so still got the right idea. Seems pretty much exactly double of what it ‘should’ be (which is 100,000 at most).
DeleteCome on guys, just cause they sell it at astronomical prices (4x what we usually pay) on the street doesn’t mean that they are paying the same ratio on big loads. That’s why they are trying to up the price wholesale, cause other groups are trying to lower it for the biz. Like the article says.
Delete7:14 If it wasn’t the same or similar ratio then people would not waste their time with it and it wouldn’t be remotely as profitable. Paying 200k for a key that you’re only selling for $300 per gram is a rip off for you as a dealer. Still profit but definitely way less than in other countries which we know is not the case. Australia being randomly way less profitable than selling coke in the US or UK doesn’t make sense.
DeleteI just got a mid to high quality Grammy for $70 😂 $400 is just... ridiculous
DeleteGrams aren't 300 that's why you guys are all confused whoever said $300-$400 is wrong it's double that...
DeleteYou guys clearly don't live in Australia......
DeleteAlso it's AUS Dollars not U.S dollars
Delete10:10 those prices I quoted were from clients online back between 2011-2013. I don’t know how much people were paying for a brick back then. All I know is that the aussies were eating up the standard online prices for marketplaces. And why wouldn’t they? They got it dirt cheap in comparison
DeleteOh never mind my previous comment; this pertains solely to Australia… where ya, keys can fetch high prices
ReplyDeleteThere you go 😉
DeleteStill doesn’t add up.
DeleteDope in fl is 750 an z it was just 12 last year😂
ReplyDeleteDope as in ❄️? If so, it was $625-700 last year in Tampa last year. At least if you were from PR or DR. So really not much of change. But it will be going up real soon. Even in the US.
DeleteYa’ll are cappin. Ounces of coke don’t go any lower than $800 in America unless you’re buying in bulk. 600 is literally what a half ounce costs even in border towns 😂
DeleteAnd don’t give me rhetoric about Florida being a magical coke market or something just because of X Y and Z happening in the past.
As soon as you said Cappin I knew you paid 1300 a zip. Esto Domis lo tienen pero bien barato. Un coso completo esta a 14,300 Cabron, Y eso es en las Torres so En el Mickey Mouse es menos. PATRRIAAAAAA
Deletelol dudes yall be slanging coke Ace wash is highest scale now in Midwest good scale post covid is 720 oz Ace wash is 1250 straight up
Delete2:34 Uh no. Yes price for an ounce can go up to 1300/1400 but 900/1000 is what’s average right now. Last time I heard from a connect they were selling it 800 but it’s not going lower than that unless you’re buying multiple zips.
DeleteDetroit has the night off, gone dancing.
ReplyDeleteAussie here. Yes prices have dropped but don’t be damn greedy. 200k a brick you want? get real, it’s a supply and demand game and I don’t care about your mega profits, deal with it. 🇦🇱 are doing the better businesses and you cry. It’s called competition and you lagging mark.
ReplyDeleteI need to find some Albanians for business
DeleteOk maybe $70 k a kilo but 200? Shit!!! Do they really want that heat? No government in the world is gonna be ok with you making that kind of money (tax free). Who ever made this post, comment or whatever you want to call it, its a troll trying to stirr shit up
ReplyDeleteYour a troll since you never have obviously no experience with prices in the market and online
DeleteThat's how expensive it is in Australia. I live here and trust me prices are outrages. If one of the real big cartels get established here they can completely run the market here.
Delete6:41 70k is ridiculous, that was their point. Even taking into account how much more coke costs in Australia; anything over 100k still makes absolutely no sense even there.
DeleteWho ever thinks a K is worth more than 100k in any part in the world must be high on the same shit!!
DeleteBros can't we all just be bros
ReplyDeleteEl golfo le metio una chinga al cjng en Tamaulipas anoche.. algen mas tiene mas informacion por favor diga?
ReplyDeleteCjng n cdg broke the alliance they had. Cdg n cds now have a truce
DeleteWow that's crazy. I wonder what happens to el primito now
DeleteScum of the earth people
ReplyDeletethese guys need to go back to school for a semester or two of economics. You can't control price unless you control all the supply. Which, by the way, is one of the reason to form a cartel - to control supply and thus price (among other things). If there is a single supply cheaper, demand will preferentially follow that supply. Period.
ReplyDeleteI read about how expensive all drugs are in Australia, there prices are so crazy but real AF. That was a good read.
ReplyDeleteWhat fo you mean real af??
DeleteAt least they got a relatively strong shroom species (subaeruginosa) for free.
DeleteNope, greed rules
ReplyDeleteJust like OPEC oil cartel
ReplyDeleteFunny how some people here are just blindly affirming figures like this saying “yeah that’s how it is in Australia, crazy prices; $300/$400 grams etc..” even though that should still come nowhere close to $200,000 for a kilo.
ReplyDeleteSome of you guys are really bad at understanding the math here and clearly don’t understand cokenomics. Even if we’re basically rounding up, it should still only come out to about $80,000 for a kilo if someone is selling say $350 grams. For a kilo to cost $200,000 that would mean single grams would basically have to be $1,300… not 300 -$400. So even for Aus this just isn’t adding up.
As others have stated, grams in the US are usually 70 - $90 (sometimes 100) but a kilo isn’t freakin 50/60k here.. It’s literally half that; at about 25k if we’re averaging. So trust me, 70k - 90k is verrry expensive already but is realistic for a country with $350 grams. 200k is pure fantasy land territory. Can’t see how this isn’t just some troll or trafficker who was tweaking too hard to do realistic calculations.
A gram in australia is probably only 25 percent cocaine. The amount of profit being extracted by the chain is very very high.
Delete10:35 Na people hella exaggerate the extent to which coke is cut. I guarantee even most decent coke over there is in the 40 - 60% range. Trust me once you get below 45/40 it becomes pretty obvious.
DeleteNot to fuel the flames nor to force the readers of Borderland Beat to pull out their CASIO wrist-watch calculators, but I thought someone might find this interesting.
ReplyDeleteI went down a rabbit hole and I pulled this up. A *2016* year (I repeat)2016 Sydney Herald article
" the price for a kilogram of cocaine has fallen from $280,000. to $180,000. The price of a kilogram of ICE has fallen from $220,000 to as low as $95,000 and an 'ecstasy kilo' has dropped from $65,000 to $37,000.
Assuming their brains are not completely made of mush they’re probably talking about the street value of a kilo after it’s sold. Just like how in America a kilo is 25k but after it’s all sold, that can earn you back 80 - 100k easily. So that’s why people will occasionally say “kilos of coke are ‘worth’ 100k in the US” because that’s how much they can earn after retail, not how much you pay for the whole kilo at once.
DeleteThe dynamics of the drug market in Australia are very different from the United States. Until relatively recently the supply was substantially less than the demand which has let wholesale dealers run the table. There’s also a very different organised crime environment that is extremely anti-competitive.
DeleteSince encryption became common and serious trans national Oc groups became involved there’s been a lot more narcotics making it over the border. The prices quoted here are very much on the usual spectrum for Oceania.
Here is a link to the article if anyone wants to read, it's over 7 years old and talks about how Sydney Australia is awash and cocaine.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the multiple inputs here but I thought this was really interesting from A New York Times article in the year *1984*this was posted: A kilogram, 2.2 pounds, of cocaine that cost a dealer $15,000 six months ago now costs $25,000 to $30,000, Frank Chellino, a spokesman for the agency's Miami office, said."
ReplyDeleteI could be completely off and I do not have any first-hand experience, seriously, but I thought cocaine was recently only 20 to $25,000 a kilogram. Anyway you look at it that's crazy that the price has not risen since 1984 regardless of what the specific circumstances or no matter what transitions have taken place since 1984 and the drug scene or in the product itself. 1984 seems like ancient history now.... okay, I'm done, hope someone found that is interesting as I did, carry on with your calculations...and spreadsheet analytics. Please correct me if I am wrong about the price of a kilogram these days or within the past decade, as I would be interesting to know what it's going for but last I knew it was still 20 to 25,000??
Greetings Ms. H!
DeleteI am getting ready to work 💪.
Welcome back.....sorry there are no Avacado related articles yet.
Yes it’s between 20,000 and $30,000 pretty much always, in America. Coke was only more expensive in the 70s. Prices haven’t really changed since the 1980s.
DeleteThats insane. Halfies were 350 and the O's were 700
ReplyDelete“These guys have watched too many gangsters [in films] and idolise the New York mafia or Al Capone”
ReplyDeleteEh more like Tony Montana bro.
Not just doing it with the perico.its the cristi too.
ReplyDelete